Around the world in... cheesy toppings

Cheese is on the umami or absolutely delightful spectrum. This neatly explains why throwing cheese over a dish is a thing the world over.

Source: Billy Law

Warm, oozy, crisp, salty, gooey, stringy, soft, creamy, buttery, stretchy... oh, don't mind us. We're just having a moment to reflect on all the reasons why melted cheese is so addictive. Put a cheesy topping on any food and you instantly make it 10 times more exciting and 100 times tastier.

How sad moussaka would be without its cheesy top. Or lasagne, or gratin or - don't even think about it - pizza.

Let's take another moment to enjoy all the times the world has injected some cheesy magic into favourite dishes. If this list doesn't put you into a cheese coma, you're not feasting your eyes enough.

French soufflé

The rise and rise of cheese. Source: Alan Benson

It all starts with the three cheese soufflé, a memorable melting of cheddar, Gruyère and Parmesan into the lightest, cheesiest ball of puff that anyone could ever wish for.

Souped up

You didn't hear it here, but French onion soup without the cheese is really just watery onion. Shhh...

Lebanese knafeh

This syrup-soaked cheese dessert is usually made with kataifi pastry, but this recipe ingeniously uses a crushed corn flakes and semolina mixture instead. Source: Chris Chen

Turning cheese into a moreish dessert showcases just how versatile it can be. The outside is golden and crusty, the inside is creamy and molten.

Argentinian fugazza

Who needs tomato and basil when you've got a plate full of cheese, cream and onion? Source: Anson Smart

Half of Argentina hail from Italian descent, which is why they know a good cheese dish when they see one. The fugazza is all the onion and cheese from your standard pizza, without anything else getting in the way of a good taste.

Italian lasagne

Everyone needs a go-to lasagne recipe. Source: Alan Benson

Where do we even start with cheese's role in this magnificent dish? It brings all of the layers together in one, oozy swoop. As testament to how beloved this dish is, we have approximately eleventy-billion lasagne recipes on SBS Food. Try a few out to find your favourite way to cheese. Here is just a small sample:

Enter the parmigiana

Cook your parmi low and slow to melt eggplant into cheese and vice versa. Source: SBS Food

We could dedicate this entire article to the Italians stunning treatment of melted cheese. Exhibit B: the parmigiana. Throw enough tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese over the top of any dish and you've essentially parmigianiaed it (this may be the first time you've seen parmigiana used as a verb, but now you know, it won't be the last).

All hail the pizza

Remember: making your own pizza dough base is 100 percent worth it. Source: Adam Liaw

Pizza is surely the leader of the melted cheese brigade. And while a few slices of mozzarella are the traditional topper, feel free to go to town experimenting with blue cheese, ricotta and even feta.

English cauliflower cheese

Molten cheese lava. Source: Alan Benson

A decent cheese sauce is an essential basic to master. Once you've perfected it, you can slather it over any vegetable, bake and then bow to your admirers. Start with classic cauliflower cheese, and then be sure to move on to this broccoli bake.

Korean chijeu buldak

There's a ton of chilli flakes and gochujang heating up every cheesy mouthful. Source: Billy Law

Buldak literally means ‘fire chicken’ and that is no exaggeration – this dish is super, super hot! In recent years, the spiciness has been toned down by covering it in cheese... genius! You can also try a version of this dish made with blue cheese here.

Japanese doria

The Japanese aren't generally big on cheese dishes, but they make a huge exception for doria. Source: Adam Liaw

This mushroom and chicken doria is another reminder of how good food is when cultures come together (see the fugazza above for a further example). Doria is an Italian-inspired dish that originated in France, but now seems to only exist in Japan where it is phenomenally popular.

Dutch frikkadels

Crunchy outside, oozy inside. Source: Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen

While not quite a cheesy topping, we'll allow the camembert-stuffed frikkadel into the mix. The Dutch really know how to mix a tasty meatball, and cheese only adds to their expertise.

Mexican nachos

This is Adam Liaw's vegetarian take on nachos using refried beans instead of meat. Source: Adam Liaw

You haven't really lived until you've scooped melted cheese up with a corn chip.

Stuff those chillies

One of the supreme favourite Mexican dishes said to have been created by nuns in the city of Puebla in the 16th century. Source: Sharyn Cairns

Fresh poblano chillies are grilled over charcoal, peeled and stuffed with cheese, dipped in an egg batter, fried and served with a rich tomato, onion and chilli sauce. Where do we line up?

Aussie mac 'n' cheese

This recipe tries to put a healthy spin on a traditional mac 'n' cheese but fortunately fails miserably. Source: China Squirrel

All the carbs are covered in extra carbs and topped with a sprinkle of carbs. We wouldn't want it any other way.

Welsh rarebit

The original 18th-century name of this dish was the jocular "Welsh rabbit", which was later reinterpreted as "rarebit" to make the dish sound a bit classier. Source: Alan Benson

It's the addition of beer that makes a Welsh rarebit more enticing than your standard cheese toastie. That said, don't forget to experiment with your jaffle maker and whatever else you fancy sandwiching together with cheese. Here are some good ideas:

Belgian gratin

This recipe packs in four heads of chicory, so it's surprisingly nutritious. Source: Royal Gardens on a Plate

A gratin is a much-loved classic of Belgian cooking, with the cheese and mustard sauce taking centre stage. This is the kind of dish you'd serve for lunch on a cold, misty day.

Greek moussaka

Moussaka is a dish that needs time and patience to make, so is normally reserved for close friends and loved ones. Source: Poh & Co. 2

Kefalograviera, a hard sheep's milk cheese is the cheese of choice in a traditional moussaka. But most of us make do with a packet of grated tasty without too much loss of flavour.

On SBS Food we have almost as many recipes for moussaka as we have for lasagne. Start your journey here:

Haloumi step forward

Haloumi is also excellent for roasting as it has a high melting point and develops a lovely, crisp crust. Source: Alan Benson

We couldn't possibly have a cheesy topping list without mention of our very favourite melted cheese of all. This Greek baked chicken dish shows off haloumi's squeaky-clean reputation for lifting a dish to the heavens.

Actually, any kind of cheese can bring out the divine in your dish. All you have to do is melt it.